UnitedHealthcare awarded $1.4 billion TRICARE support contract

UnitedHealthcare announced last week that its Military & Veterans Services business unit has been awarded the Department of Defense’s TRICARE Managed Care Support contract worth $1.4 billion to provide health care services for active duty and retired military service members and their families in the West Region. UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services will be the Managed Care Support contractor serving nearly 2.9 million TRICARE beneficiaries in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa (excluding Rock Island Arsenal area), Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (excluding the St. Louis area), Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, portions of Texas (including El Paso), Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The contract includes a transition period and five one-year option periods for health care operations. The first year of operations is anticipated to begin April 1, 2013.